Following the loss of Byron in 2007, I began a morning ritual to connect with his spirit. Standing on my back porch, I could see the Dog Star Sirius in the early morning sky. I would take a few moments in the quiet of the dawn to look up at the star and remember him. I had a strong feeling he was watching over me, and this simple ritual was comforting.

Byron, age 14

As if he was answering me back, I began to notice star motifs appearing everywhere. Digging around in a cupboard in the garage, I pulled out an extra dog dish to take to the cabin. It was a handmade pottery dish, with a star motif. I had completely forgotten I had this dish. The circle seemed complete when little Alex was born with a small white mark on his back like a shooting star. I still look up at the stars, and think of all my beloved dogs. Browsing through my dog poetry collection, I came across this poem. It’s by Burges Johnson, who was a professor at Union College in New York, and it’s part of a longer poem written in the dog’s voice, “The Rubaiyat of Omar Ki-Yi,” pubished in 1938.